During the second day of SAPPHIRE NOW Madrid, I attended in a round-table on the topic: Ecosystem and Channel foster co-innovation. I would like to take this opportunity to share some insights with you.

Background

This year, SAP communicated to the market the plan to substantially increase the share of software revenue generated through indirect channels: at least 40% of SAP’s software and software related services revenue indirectly till 2015, which is twice the revenue SAP generated in 2010 through indirect channels.

Just expanding the various routes to market, is not enough to achieve this demanding goal by 2015. Therefore SAP enabling partners to sell innovative new products and co-innovate on top of SAP– as a platform for mobile, in-memory, business analytics and cloud development.

The round table goal was to explain and demonstrate SAP’s actions to enable partners to co-innovate and expand routs to market. The round table was moderated by Steve Graham, Vice President of Global Ecosystem Marketing at SAP.

Participants

From SAP:

Eric Duffaut, Global president of Ecosystem and Channels, SAP

Luis Murguia, Senior Vice President Ecosystem and Channels EMEA, SAP

From Partners:

Uwe Bohnhorst, COO, itelligence AG

Fernando Alvarez, Vice President and Service Line Leader Mobile Solutions Practice, Capgemini

Customers:

Tona Monedero, CIO, Codorníu (itelligence customer)

SAP – The Apple of software

Eric Duffaut, started with stating that it has never been a better time to partner with SAP. SAP making platforms available for partners to innovate on top of SAP. He referred to Jim Hagemann Snabe’s keynote at SAPPHIRE who quoted a customer saying: “SAP is Apple simple and Google fast!” To succeed in that, SAP and partners have to cooperate and with the new approach SAP see’s partners as an extension of SAP’s sales force, emphasized Duffaut. 76% of SAP customers are SMEs and come from partners. This approach will also enable partners to generate more complimentary sales.

Uwe Bohnhorst, explained that itelligence has been cooperating with SAP for more than 20 years now. He sees remarkable changes in the Ecosystem, allowing partners to embrace SAP platforms and deliver better results to customers. “With the close relations to the customers, understanding of their needs, combined with itelligence’s industry know-how and technique, itelligence can deliver quick and better results for our customers, described Bohnhorst the situation today. “Based on co-innovation projects we then are able to industrialize the solutions we innovate and deliver solutions for other customers in reasonable prices and in a short time.

Tona Monedero mentioned that Codorníu has been working with itelligence for more than 13 years now. Codorníu is the story of a wine-producing family that dates back to the 16th century. It is the story, therefore, of a region and its progress, of the people of an area, of their creative and innovative ability, and their talent for constant improvement. Monedero explains: Codorníu’s Cava products require a unique process of production compared to wine products. Furthermore, there are different regulations in different regions that require different processes. The close relations to itelligence, and itelligence understanding of our needs enabled us to have an innovative SAP solution that covers all the needs and unique processes and demands, said Moendero.

SAP is embracing partners

Fernando Alvarez referred to another aspect of the new approach. “The SAP culture has changed in a way that it is more embracing. In the past it was hard to communicate with SAP. Today the contents are clearer and it is easier for partners to communicate with SAP, said Alvarez.

SAP online store- making partners solutions available anywhere in the world

Another example for the steps SAP is doing was mentioned by Luis Murguia: the new SAP online store, making all partners mobile solutions available for the market. Murguia stated: “Mobility will change how we do business”.

But not only mobile solutions will be available on SAP online store. Eric Duffaut continues: “itelligence developments on top of SAP Business byDesign, is another example for solutions that will be available on the SAP store. This will enable partners to reach a larger customer base, anywhere in the world and will increase partner’s revenues.”

SAP together with partners becomes more relevant for customers

Eric Duffaut summarized: “SAP making platforms available for partners to innovate on top, and together with the close relations and understanding of customers – SAP will become more relevant for its customers.”

As a personal note, when comparing the massages SAP communicated to partners and customers during SAPPHIRE NOW and in specific during the roundtable, to my professional world of social media and WEB2.0, it seems that SAP is influenced by some aspects of the open source approach. It is visible in all layers of cooperation with partners: from the way SAP communicates through making platform available for partners to innovation on top. I like SAP’s Co-CEO Bill McDermott statement at SAPPHIRE NOW Beijing: “Innovation comes from many. None of us is as smart as all of us.”

Get more information from our short interview with Tona Monedero- CIO of Codorníu, Uwe Bohnhorst- COO of itelligence AG and Juan Carlos Encío-Managing Dirctor of itelligence Spain , explaining how working close together on co-innovation topic, supports Codorníu unique processes.